Yoko Ono - singer, musician, artist. She gained worldwide fame after she became engaged to the leader of the legendary Beatles.
Childhood and youth
Yoko Ono was born in Japan. Almost immediately after the birth of Yoko, her family moved to the territory of America. The family spent quite a bit in the USA. After the head of the family was transferred to New York on duty, the mother and daughter returned to their historical homeland, although they occasionally visited America.
Yoko Ono was born as a gifted child with out-of-the-box thinking. At the age of three, she entered a music school. The talented girl received her secondary education in one of the most prestigious schools in her country.
In the 53rd year of the last century, she entered one of the colleges in America. Yoko studied music and literature in depth. She dreamed of becoming an opera singer. She really had a great voice.
The creative path of Yoko Ono
Creativity Yoko Ono for a long time remained without the attention of fans and music critics. She organized strange performances that not everyone could accept. One of these is Cut Piece.
During the action, Ono sat on the bare floor in a beautiful outfit. The audience went on stage, approached the Japanese woman and cut off pieces of clothing with scissors. This action lasted until Youko was naked.
Ono performed a similar performance more than once. The last time she did something similar was in the French capital in 2003. But, here's what is interesting: at that time she was 70 years old, and she proudly accepted her external changes.
"My goal was for people to take whatever they want, so it was very important to say that you can cut any size, any place."
With her performances, Yoko provoked the audience. She challenged the audience, but at the same time, It interacted with the audience. Back then, such an act was a rarity. Note that Cut Piece is also a peaceful political protest.
In the mid-60s, she published a collection of poetry "Grapefruit". Yoko said that thanks to the works that were included in the publication, she formed a further life path.
The reason for the breakup of The Beatles or a source of inspiration?
Yoko Ono's acquaintance with the legendary John Lennon changed the creative biography of both celebrities. Fans of the Beatles' creativity have long remained dissatisfied with the new girlfriend of the group leader. According to the "fans", John's new girlfriend is one of the reasons for the collapse of the team.
But, P. McCartney is sure that Yoko's fault in the breakup of the group is not. The Japanese woman, on the contrary, has become almost the only source of inspiration for John. If not for her, the world would never have heard the legendary composition Imagine.
Yoko Ono has been known for outrageous and out-of-the-box thinking throughout her life. One of the couple's most recognizable acts was Bed-In For Peace. An unrealistic number of media representatives gathered at the Hilton Hotel to see something new in person.
Yoko and Lennon organized a peaceful protest. The lovers just lay in a warm bed and answered questions from journalists. The main purpose of the meeting is to promote peace on the planet.
Formation of the Plastic Ono Band
At the end of the 60s of the last century, the lovers "put together" a common musical project. We are talking about the group Plastic Ono Band. Yoko, together with her husband, recorded 9 full-length albums. In addition to Ono and John, the group at various times included popular musicians. Among them, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and others.
The piece of music Sisters, O Sisters will help you better understand who Yoko Ono is. The presented track was included in the plastic of Some Time in New York City. Later this song will be called a feminist anthem. Yoko supported the female part of humanity with this track. She called on women to put their energy into improving life on the planet.
The debut album of Two Virgins also deserves attention. The collection is saturated with provocation and challenge to standard thinking. Lennon spent one night recording the collection. A distinctive feature of the album is the absence of tracks in the collection. The record was filled with yelling, screaming, noise. The cover was decorated with a nude photo of a couple.
The cover of the debut album is not the most provocative photo of the couple. The cover of one of the issues of Rolling Stone magazine was decorated with a photo of Lennon and Yoko. The photo shows a naked John kissing a recumbent Ono. By the way, the photo was taken in 1980, a few hours before the murder of the musician.
Yoko Ono's life after the death of her husband
The woman was very upset by the death of her husband. She shut herself off from the outside world for a while. Youko was sure that there would never be such a love in her life again. Over time, she found the strength in herself to continue to live, love, and create.
She opened a museum in her homeland. There is a telephone in the center of the hall. From time to time the telephone starts ringing. Visitors who pick up the phone have a unique opportunity to personally communicate with the owner of the establishment.
During this period of time, she presents long plays that have become iconic. We are talking about the compilations Starpeace and It's Alright. Of particular note is the fact that she managed to publish an unpublished longplay of her late husband. The collection Milk and Honey was incredibly warmly welcomed by fans of John Lennon.
Details of Yoko Ono's personal life
She got married at 23. Parents were categorically against this union. Toshi Ichiyanagi (Chevalier Yoko) - did not shine with great prospects, and his wallet was also empty. Parents' persuasion did not work. A Japanese woman married a poor composer.
For Yoko Ono, it was a time of experimentation and self-discovery. She wanted to earn the love of the public, so she surprised the audience with unusual performances. But, critics and viewers for a long time remained indifferent to her antics.
She was on the brink of depression. It tried to voluntarily die, but each time her husband pulled her out of the noose. When the parents found out about the suicide attempts, they placed their daughter in a clinic for the mentally ill.
When E. Cox (producer) found out that Yoko Ono ended up in a psychiatric clinic, he went to the woman to support her. By the way, Anthony was a big fan of Yoko Ono's work.
Cox took Yoko from the Japanese clinic and took the woman with him to New York. He was a huge support for Ono. Anthony takes on the production of daring projects of a talented Japanese woman. By the way, then, Yoko was still officially married. Without thinking twice, Ono divorces her husband and marries Anthony. In this marriage, the couple had a daughter, who was named Kyoko.
Meeting John Lennon
1966 changed the whole life of Yoko Oni. This year Indica hosted an exhibition of a talented Japanese artist. At the exhibition, she was lucky to meet the leader of the group "The Beatles"- John Lenn.
Interestingly, she began to seek his attention in all possible ways. It was a strong attraction, passion, attraction.
Yoko sat outside Lennon's house for hours. She dreamed of getting into his house, and one day she still managed to realize her plan. Lennon's wife let Ono into the house to call a taxi. A little later, the Japanese woman stated that she had forgotten the ring in John's house.
Ono wrote letters threatening to return the ring or money. Of course, she was not interested in the material part of the case. She dreamed of capturing Lennon's attention. She achieved her goal. Cynthia (John's wife) once caught her husband in bed with Ono. In 1968, she filed for divorce.
Yoko divorces her husband. In 1969, John and Ono officially got married. Six years later, a son is born in this union, whom happy parents named Sean Lennon. The son also followed in the footsteps of his father - he is engaged in music.
The relationship of the couple can hardly be called ideal, but even despite this, they received frantic pleasure from spending time together.
The couple parted several times, but then again converged. Some time later, they moved to New York, but could not solve the problem of obtaining a residence permit. John wanted to return to London, but Yoko could not be persuaded. The woman can be understood, because after the divorce from Anthony, the daughter stayed with her father in America. Ono wanted to be closer to Kyoko.
She was very upset by the death of Lennon, but over time she found the strength in herself to continue living. She soon married Sam Khavadtoy. This marriage was not as strong as we would like. The couple divorced in 2001.
Interesting facts about Yoko Ono
- She is a distant relative of the Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
- Yoko was and remains an important conceptual artist who is at the forefront of the genre of performance art.
- She is often described in three words: witch, feminist, pacifist.
- Yoko inspired Lennon to write some of his most famous compositions.
Yoko Ono: today
In 2016, she posed for the annual Pirelli calendar. At 83, she delighted fans with rather candid photographs. In the photo, the woman is depicted in mini shorts, a short jacket and a top hat on her head.
In the same year, journalists "trumpeted" the information that a woman was hospitalized with a suspected stroke. In order to somehow reassure the fans, Sean Lennon decided to tell what brought his mother to the clinic. He said that Ono had the flu, which led to dehydration. Sean assured that Yoko Ono's life was not in danger.
In 2021, she decided to launch her own music channel for the first time with producer D. Hendrix. Yoko's brainchild is called the Coda Collection. The first broadcast took place on February 18, 2021. The Coda Collection will feature rare concert recordings as well as documentaries. By the way, on February 18, 2021, she turned 88 years old.
